Lebanon PM condemns bomb blast in Beirut commercial district

Published August 23rd, 2005 - 12:59 GMT

An bomb that exploded in a Christian suburb of Beirut injured at least five people on Monday evening. The explosion occurred around 11 p.m. Lebanese t

Lebanese Prime Minister, Fuad Al-Sanioura strongly condemned Tuesday the explosion in Zalqa, East Beirut, stressing that the country will continue to re-establish its security bodies. In his first comments on the explosion, Al-Sanioura said that the explosion is a "continuation of the criminal plan that aims at terrifying the people and to prevent Lebanon from restoring normal life."

The bomb that exploded in a Christian suburb of Beirut injured at least five people on Monday evening. The explosion occurred around 11 p.m. Lebanese time, close to the Hotel Promenade in the commercial center of Zalqa, nearby a local Starbucks Café.

One Lebanese civil defense spokesman said that it is suspected that the bomb had been planted inside a building in the area, however another source said the bomb went off in a nearby parking lot, according to Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation.

Ambulances rushed to the scene as security personnel sealed off the area around the bombing.

Similar bombings have plagued Lebanon in recent months. At least two people were killed in July when a blast rocked another Christian neighborhood in Beirut, while a bomb blast last February took the life of Lebanon's former Prime Minister and opposition leader, Rafik Hariri.